A variety of patterns in this bedroom make a bold statement: the bird-motif wallpaper and Source UK’s Pom Pom rug, based on Japanese shibori, a tie-dye technique. The teeny bedside table is both charming and useful in this tight space.

This showstopping dining room by designer Alessandra Branca demonstrates both guts and glory, striking the perfect balance between formal and eclectic. A modern sheer scrim is a great foil to the room’s more traditional elements, including the chandelier it conceals and the antique Gustavian-style dining chairs. Casual touches like the wave-patterned sisal and groupings of coral soften the theatrical elements of the space.

The hallway is a study in neutrals with wall-to-wall seagrass and patterned wallpaper. Homeowner and designer Colette van den Thillart accessorized the foyer with gilded antlers, a unique art piece with a plaster frame and warm white furnishings, including an 18th-century Russian side chair. The console works to conceal a radiator underneath.

This screen-printed rococo pattern on classic grasscloth is subtle enough for a large room.

Designer and cookbook author Sophie Conran is inspired by Designers Guild founder, Tricia Guild. Her Whitewell Wallpaper collection is brimming with elegant designs like this one, for instance, each with a very British decorative appeal that Conran has adapted in her own designs. This floral pattern evokes a romantic age, but the tone-on-tone theme gives it a versatile edge.

Design Milk’s Jaime Derringer adores the dark accent wall here. “This style is right up my alley: modern, minimal, but with a side of Victorian,” she says. “Where the dark wallpaper meets the floor offers a wonderful juxtaposition — usually it’s the dark floor that meets the white wall. The colour pop from the green lamp completes the room.”

“I fell in love with the pattern of this wallpaper and was determined to use it,” says homeowner, stylist and regular H&H contributor Arren Williams. “Inspired by a vintage 1950s fabric, it really fits in with our aesthetic. And its livable, soft metallic tones add warmth and offset other colours in the room, like the bold turquoise of the vintage lamp and the purple of Spot’s dog bed.”

White accents and natural light transformed stylist Arren Williams‘ dining room into a bright, inviting space. “I fell in love with this wallpaper,” says Arren. “Its livable, soft metallic tones add warmth and offset the other colours in the room.” His custom-made dining room table and Thonet-like chairs, which he refurbished himself, add vintage quirkiness that can be seen throughout his home.

A large-scale-patterned wallpaper covers the wall in this small condo entrance. Undaunted by the closet, the homeowner continued the pattern across the door and painted the frame the same pale blue found in the print. She also chose a matching doorknob for a lovely coordinated look.

In the 2009 Princess Margaret Showhome, the lower level was finished with style. A focal wall was covered in a textured wallpaper while the others were painted a creamy white to maximize light. A chandelier and table lamps allow guests to choose their preferred lighting.

Bathrooms don’t have to be bland, as this one shows with its glittery marble mosaic-tiled floor, glass-droplet chandelier and pretty Schumacher wallpaper. A custom-designed vanity features double sinks and built-in storage, a marble countertop and panel moulding that smartly blends two mirrors in the insets. The low, freestanding tub makes the room feel more spacious and opulent.

This wonderfully eclectic salon-style living room comes alive with a black-painted mantel and burnt-orange velvet chairs. Modern touches, like the gold table lamp and collection of blue vases, keep the look from feeling too fussy.

Photographer:

Donna Griffith

New Vintage Living Room

Flea market finds and romantic florals have never looked so hip. Mixing chippy wood furniture, intentionally deconstructed upholstery and faded prints elevate this room from cute to contemporary. No need to worry about scratches or dents — this trendy, 2011 look is very forgiving.

In 2011, traditionalists are expressing their inner rebels with a riot of clashing colours and bold patterns. Chinoiserie wallpaper mixes with a camp-style red point blanket to offer appealing tension and an upholstered headboard gets an edgy update with nailhead detailing. Classic lampshades on swing-arm lamps, while still pleated and pretty, swap out more staid shades for exotic brights. Bits of gold detailing throughout add a balancing dose of traditional polish.

Reenergize a hallway or room by hanging striped wallpaper horizontally in the space below the chair rail, a trick that helps make narrow rooms feel wider.

To ensure an even look, position the paper so the lowest and highest stripes are the same colour; install the painted chair rail after the wallpaper has been hung. Then, match the wall’s paint colour to the stripe.

The original kitchen plans of designer Sarah Richardson, host of HGTV’s Sarah’s House and Sarah’s Cottage, didn’t include wallpaper — until she came across this pattern. “I loved the large scale and that it was a contemporary floral,” she says. “And the silver is such a subtle metallic touch, it was just pure luck that it happened to work with my scheme.”

Delicate golden birds printed on the wallpaper, a metallic sheen on the French château-style bed frame and a brushed gold Moroccan-style pendant light fixture make this monochromatic bedroom glow. The dramatic mosaic bust in white gold is a bold touch in an otherwise restrained space.

“This room has recently been included in ‘America’s Finest Rooms,’ which was flattering,” says Nicky Haslam, principal and founder of NH Design. “The mix of colours, patterns and antiqued gold was an enormous success and the lesson here is not to stop short of mixing a lot of patterns.”

A long work table in the middle of this former bedroom allows for various projects to be on-the-go simultaneously. Two rows of upper cabinets keep the striking wallpaper visible while providing closed storage, and a wall-mounted rod and cup system keeps everyday essentials organized and at hand. This room could easily double as a home office, using the table as a spacious desk.

Yellow drapes with a box-pleat valance and patterned wallpaper combine for a polished tone-on-tone effect in Victoria Webster’s living room. The sofa, carpet and trim in pale grey balance the graphic impact of the yellow wallpaper without stealing its thunder.

Panelled wainscotting, shapely antique furniture and a gilt mirror and sconce combine in this vintage-chic space.

Designer and cookbook author Sophie Conran used this Chantilly wallpaper (shown here in Mimosa) in her hallway at home in England, while her brother used it to brighten up one of his restaurants. A metallic sheen and subtle stripe bring the floral wallcovering to life.

Rustic baskets above the shelves and a mod ’60s light fixture emphasize the height of this kitchen.

H&H style editor Michael Penney removed the upper kitchen cabinet doors and stapled grasscloth wallpaper to the back, creating chic and expansive-looking open shelves. A wallpaper feature wall also draws the eye up and out to the window view.

Get more small space solutions in our photo gallery. Also, see more photos of Michael’s former apartment and a tour in our gallery and video. Plus, see tours of his new house, too!

Try this fresh hue in a graphic pattern for a bold hit of colour and texture.

While there are more shades of green than any other colour in the spectrum, classic kelly green is a particularly pretty choice for interiors, where it mingles effortlessly with everything from brights to whites. In this bedroom, painting trim the same verdant hue as the wallpaper’s graphic trellis pattern produces a more decorated look, while strategic hits of black add urban polish.

David Hicks’ tribal wallpaper adds a fresh, modern edge to this large front entryway and brings together a perfect palette of white and chocolate brown.

Rich hardwood flooring and crisp white tile, along with white louvered shutters and a dark front door all combine to create a dramatic affect. A pink chair and lithography by Harold Town add a sense of playfulness and style.

Photographer:

Ted Yarwood

Designer:

Timothy Mather

Glamorous Indigo Dining Room

Layer texture and pattern for a luxe look.

In designer Theresa Casey’s home, the decor-inspired dining room’s navy velvet banquette was inspired by one in a Parisian café and is perfect for hosting dinner parties or lounging with the Sunday paper. Built-ins provide ample storage and decorative brass-grilled doors hide radiators and unsightly wires and cables.

Small powder rooms offer the opportunity to play with strong colour and pattern without throwing off a whole house’s palette or mood. When incorporating wallpaper with a strong pattern, keep other finishes and accessories simple, like the glass light fixtures and creamy limestone floor here.